Yahoo coupled with $113 million in development coming on the Wenatchee Waterfront...it all started with the High Performance Community strategy that was developed in 2000.

The collaborative strategy effort, spearheaded by the City of Wenatchee and the Port of Chelan County, identified sixteen strategies that would ensure continued economic growth in the region. 

The High- Performance Community strategy has been implemented vigorously by many determined and passionate leaders in the region and has reaped huge rewards and accolades for their commitment to the vision. 

Internet giant Yahoo, in its announcement to locate a data center in Wenatchee, said, “We chose North Central Washington for this important facility because of the great quality of life here, the immediate availability of suitable space, the 'can-do' spirit of community leaders, the cost and reliability of electricity, and the access to a world-class fiber optic network. They've taken all the right steps to create a terrific environment for us.”

All the right steps in this case include the Port of Chelan County’s multi-million dollar investment in the Confluence Technology Center, a state-of-the art facility built specifically to attract information technology companies to the area.  Another factor in this success is $50 million investment by the Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) in laying fiber-optic cable to homes and businesses. 

Another key element of the High Performance Community strategy was to animate the downtown and Columbia River areas with commercial, housing, recreational and cultural activities that will bring people to these areas.  That vision has now captured the attention and commitment of private sector developers who will now rebuild the entire waterfront to offer homes, jobs, and recreational opportunities to residents and visitors.   The three-phase project is expected to eventually add 1,440 residential units, 517,000 square feet of commercial development and 1,430 jobs.  The project will include a riverfront amphitheatre, a multipurpose center (including an ice rink) and improved parks and water access.

And there’s more.

Action summit Charges Advanced Vehicle Initiative

In November of 2005 the Advanced Vehicle Initiative Partnership convened a High Performance Community action summit attended by more than 100 people to establish the Wenatchee Valley as a national center for plug-in hybrids, bio-diesel and other alternatives.  The event created linkages with national experts and other communities implementing comparable initiatives and showcased the area’s automotive technician program at Wenatchee Valley College. 

An Angel Investor Group (The Apple Seeds) is being formed in Wenatchee with the objective of providing investment capital to qualified start-ups.  Also a recommendation of the 2000 strategy it will be associated with a statewide angel network through the Washington Technology Alliance.

GWATA (the Greater Wenatchee Area Technology Association) has been a key player in the High Performance Community Strategy since the start and has now recast its mission, with the help of Praxis Strategy Group, to focus on widespread adoption of advanced technologies by businesses and organizations across all industry sectors. GWATA’s value proposition is to be a catalyst for technology innovation; to showcase success models in the region; to identify resources and potential suppliers, partners and customers; and to benchmark the Wenatchee Valley economy with peer regions and those with which they aspire to be competitive

Visit www.wenatchee.org.